Description

Soviet Union, Order of Lenin, no. 179324, type 5, variation 1, good extremely fine, virtually as issued. Medal in case of issue.

The Order of Lenin (or Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina in Russian) was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union. It was named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution and established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was awarded:

• To civilians, for outstanding services provided to the State.

• To members of the armed forces, for exemplary service.

• To those who strengthened peace and promoted friendship and cooperation between peoples.

• To those with meritorious services to the Soviet state and Soviet society.

• From 1944 to 1957, the Order of Lenin was also used to reward 25 years of conspicuous military service.

The first Order of Lenin was awarded on 23 May 1930 to the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. The Order could also be bestowed on cities, companies, factories, regions, military units, and ships – something that allowed them to apply the name of the Order into their official titles. The initial recipients also included three pilots, five industrial companies, and the Secretary to the Central Executive Committee Avel Enukidze. The first person to receive the Order was the test pilot Valery Chkalov in 1936. Among the first foreign recipients were a German and four US citizens, who received the Order of Lenin for helping in the reconstruction of Soviet agriculture and industry.

The Order of Lenin could be awarded multiple times. For example, Nikolay Patolichev, longtime Minister for Foreign Trade of the USSR, and Dmitriy Ustinov, Defence Minister in 1976–1984, received it 11 times.